The Last Kitsune
by Zoran Prower
Summary: Complete: Sonic undergoes a tragic quest that will ultimately darken his soul, and Tails, back from the dead, longs to be with Cosmo. But will fate force Tails to fall into the same pit Sonic has? TailsxCosmo, and other pairings
1. Desolation does not come without Despair

The Last Kitsune (Volume 2 in the Piety vs. Malevolence series)

**Prologue:** Desolation Does Not Come Without Despair

**A/N: The Last Kitsune is a sequel to the Lost Answer, but you do not **_**have**_** to read the Lost Answer. In the final chapters of the Lost Answer, Tails achieves his goal, but not without the price of being trapped in the realm of the souls. Sonic's soul was tainted by the Soul Diamond, and Knuckles managed to destroy it, but not after the evil inside him forced him to kill Cream. Zoran, managed to save Cream by using her magic so she could cling to life, but by doing so, he fell to the same state, barely alive.**

**Though the two characters that are paired here are Mr. Orange and Mrs. Green (Not a very good joke, I'm afraid), the story will not focus on either much in the early chapters, rather it focuses more so on Sonic at first, and the reason will be unfolded as you keep reading. There are several other pairings, but I warn the reader now, one pairing will die. **

**Thus we begin with Tails, still trapped in the heavenly soul realm.**

Tails looked at the Soul Keeper, his beaming, solemn smile unable to do nothing to his mood. He didn't belong here, he shouldn't be here, but something went wrong. Something went terribly wrong. Though his soul felt happy, enriched by the aura of the place, his heart felt miserable. Had he been dead, he would be happy. But he was alive, and misery is the worst thing the living can feel.

The Soul Keeper looked down at him, very thoughtful. "You realize you are eternally stuck here until someone frees you."

Tails nodded. "But the Soul Diamond is the only way, is it not?" Tails asked him. "You said the Diamond was either destroyed or removed from its pedestal."

"I believe it was destroyed. I feel odd, and I think the Diamond has something to do with it."

Tails felt saddened by this way. "Is there not another way?"

The Soul-Keeper thought for a long time. "You are still alive, you can age here, but you cannot die here. There is one way, more dangerous than any other. You may die and come back here. Wouldn't that be a pleasant consequence?" His light joke did little to appease Tails mood.

Tails tried to smile, but he could not help to be afraid. "What way is this?"

The Soul-Keeper smiled. "If you were paying attention, you would have seen that this place is above the clouds. If you look at that window," He pointed to the window to the side of him. "You'll see that if you jumped out of it, you'd fall for a very long time, but very fast. You'd have a 5 survival at your current condition. The question is, if you can raise that chance, and are you bold enough."

Tails thought for a moment. "I'm bold enough."

The Soul-Keeper beamed at him. "Excellent. Now, I'd advise you to practice with those Tails, and get as much rest as possible. It should raise your chances a bit. But are you sure that you'd risk death?"

Tails nodded, his voice filled with despair. "I am already dead if I do nothing."

A mysterious figured looked beyond. Within his cloak, and his hooded face, he looked suspicious. When he removed his hood, he looked terribly evil. Horns like those of a bull grew on his head, and terrible red, gargoyle like wings grew on his back. This terrible figure was called the Dread Lord. Nothing else. He had long destroyed his old name. Evil was now his occupation. He was a humanoid wolf, but that hardly matters. It is the inside of his soul that was despicable, not his species.

He turned to his henchman, who would do nothing but please his master. "The Soul Diamond has been destroyed. I can feel its power vanishing from the land." He raised his hand into the air, examining it with his, green, slit eyes.

"Yet its taint has spread into a certain individual. Follow its source, and then tell me who it has decided to store itself. Then I shall speak to them." His henchman obeyed and left the room. He'd be back in about three days. The Dread Lord wasn't stupid. He was very wise, and very persuasive… and worse of all, very powerful…

**A/N: Chapter 1 will be up soon! Please Review, and stay tuned!**


	2. Despair brings Misery

Chapter 1: Despair Brings Misery 

**A/N If you do read this story, it's always nice to have a review on what you think about it…**

They all stood out there, in the pouring rain, hardly aware of how wet the ground was. Sonic looked mournfully at the grave they had erected for Tails. Knuckles looked down at his knuckles, hiding the shameful look on his face. It was he, after all, who had destroyed the diamond a moment too soon, ending Tails chances to return. Rogue watched from a distance, away and unseen from the others a silent, unreadable expression on her face. Amy stood next to Sonic, not knowing what to say. Cosmo stood under her umbrella, tears in her eyes.

Cream and Zoran were unable to attend. In fact, they had yet to regain consciousness, and Cosmo feared that they would die before ever opening their eyes to the world again. There was already enough loss as there was.

The last three days were miserable. There was never a quieter journey home. Cosmo cried the whole way, but she couldn't help notice how shameful Knuckles and Sonic were. Knuckles had continuously apologized for Tails' death to her, and she continuously replied that it really wasn't his fault. Accidents happened all the time. Yet she couldn't ignore how terrible this accident was. It felt like a hole had been cut out in her heart, and she was feeling every bit of that pain.

Yet they were not the only ones standing by a grave that morning. At the same cemetery stood Shadow the hedgehog, unseen by anyone, as for he was all the way on the other side. The grave he stood in front of was Maria the Hedgehog. He had placed a red poppy in front of the grave. He had noticed, however, that the others were all mourning the death of someone, but he had as of yet figured out who it was. He eventually figured however, that it must be Tails, because Sonic's face looked as if he had failed a friend. And in essence, he did.

In fact, the entire day was filled with despair. And with despair, comes misery.

Yet there was a tiny brim of hope that day. Cream had awaken while everyone was at Tails' funeral.

She stirred slowly, and the first thing she felt was hunger, and that she had slept for far too long. She was in Amy's house, being carefully cared for there on a bed. On a bed right next to her own, lied Zoran, asleep. The first sing he had shown of recovering. He muttered something under his breath, constantly turning. Cream looked at him, afraid. Then she remembered that Zoran was her rescuer, she remembered that Sonic was her murderer, and that they had gone from the Violet Forest, to home… yet what had happened in that time.

"My Answer…" Zoran muttered on his breath. "Samaka…." The word he just said was nonsense to Zoran. In truth, it was a word of his old world. Then he opened his eyes, and to the surprise of Cream, got right out of the bed, looking around, wildly, as if he had woken up on a field of battle. In truth, he had spun around so wildly, because he had heard Amy approaching her home, and Cream, beside him. Cream looked at him worriedly.

"Are you okay?" She asked him. Zoran looked down at his hands, making a fist, and then opening them once more, testing his fingers.

"I'm okay." And he smiled at her, a sad, soothing smile.

"You saved my life, didn't you?" She asked him.

"Not really. You were dead; I just managed to stop your soul from leaving the world. In the sense, I stopped you from going to a better place. I made your life worse."

Cream looked at him sadly. "You're quite wise for a fox. You must be at least 17. She said to him." Zoran laughed.

"I've heard people guess my age to be 21. But I'm neither. I'm merely nine years old. I only seem older because I have seen death in very large degrees. I've seen cities destroyed in a single stroke of powerful magic, people betrayed, then killed, and worse horrors that are not worth living again… Now, I've seen my cousin die. It's amazing I haven't lost my sanity."

Cream started to cry. Tails was dead, and she was just dead herself, but thanks to Zoran, she was given another chance at life. "I wish crying helped." Zoran whispered to her. "But all the world wants to do is get even darker."

Cream looked at his solemn face, and she pitied him, even felt remorse for him. Zoran was like a tree, being held together by the tiniest piece of wood.

Amy then opened the door, and Zoran gave her a solemn smile. When she saw them both alive and well, she gave them both a hug. "This is great!" She cried. "Finally, some good news!"

Three weeks later…

Sonic watched as Cosmo walked toward Tails' grave. She went there at least three times a day, bringing a different kind of flower for each day. Sonic pitied her, but it was himself that he pitied even more.

Lately, he had felt odd. Sometimes, he had a sudden urge to burst out in anger, a sudden urge to destroy everything around him. Today he had yelled at Knuckles for merely bumping into him. It nearly escalated into a fight, and it would have, had Amy not interfered and cooled them down.

There was something wrong with him. He wanted to destroy, but knew it was wrong. He wanted to take pleasure in the death of a being, but the good part of him knew this was wrong.

What Sonic didn't know was that the evil taint in him was slowly winning…

**A/N: Suspense! What will happen next? Review and stay tuned!**


	3. Grief both consumes and shields

Grief both consumes and shields

In order to fully understand why Sonic is even experiencing the evil taint, it is best to explain, or rather retell some things now. Several weeks ago, when Sonic used the Soul diamond's power, he took the evil taint inside it and made it his own. Had he died, the evil taint would have returned to the diamond. But Knuckles destroyed it, and thus, the evil taint grows within him, trying to match its former power.

Sonic knows this, and has yet to tell his friends. Who would? Would a hero tell someone that they are slowly "suffering" from a villain complex? In fact, perhaps a heroes greatest flaw is the need to be in desolation. Sonic's speed one of his greatest strengths, only worsens this flaw.

Sonic currently was patrolling in his own room, trying to maintain the little control he had left. "_If I stay, I could cause harm, If I go, I'll miss my home…"_ He thought to himself. He had already destroyed one of his lamps. The taint inside him just wanted to destroy, it hardly cared what, but Sonic knew that it would probably take a lot more pleasure from destroying living things. It was because of the taint that he nearly destroyed Cream, and that Tails was dead. Yet had he not touched the diamond in the first place.

Sonic walked to the front door. He had already decided. He was just hesitating. He sighed once more, and begins writing, throwing away each draft on the explanation he would give for his departure.

Eventually the message came to him. Here is what it said:

_Dear friends_:

_I am sorry, but I can no longer stay. Something calls to my attention, and I must answer this call. Whether I return, I do not know. But where I go, you cannot follow. I am sorry, but that is the way of things right now._

_Perhaps I may see you all again. I really do hope so._

_Goodbye,_

_Sonic_

Sonic tried not to let the tears come out of his eyes, but it was his sadness that made it even easier to start out on the journey, to stop the evil taint from taking control Does evil not hate love, because it weakness the strength it needs to cause the required actions?

The first steps were the hardest for him, but those steps would be the easiest to control that evil. Sonic grimly began running as fast as he could go.

The thing was, he had no idea where he was going…

(Elsewhere…)

A young animal looked at his hands. They were cut, bruised, and bloody. The descent was difficult, but in the end, it was worthwhile. He was tired and fatigued, and knew that if he didn't sleep soon, he would collapse.

He looked around. He had no idea where he was, but that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that he was no longer in the world of the dead.

He was alive.

**A/N: Sorry for the first chapter, but I figured that the events that took place after Sonic's departure would be pretty long, so I decided to make it a separate chapter. If you review, it would make me very happy.**


	4. To Go is to leave behind Memories

To go is to leave behind memories…

Amy was the first to notice Sonic's departure, and she was taking it rather badly. "Does anyone know where Sonic is?" She asked her friends. They shook their heads.

"Maybe he ran out of the country, fell down a ravine, and is utterly lost." Zoran suggested, purposely making Amy tense. "Or he could have drowned in a lake of water…"

"Oh, stop it Zoran! You're making Amy scared!" Cream yelled at him.

"That's the entire point!" Zoran said, exasperated.

"You think it's funny?"

"I think it's very funny." Zoran commented, and Cream gave him a stern look. "I mean, he did leave his house this morning."

"And how do you know?" Cream asked, and Amy was now looking at him too.

"I saw him leave. He could be going Mach 2 for all I care, but I could still see him, or rather smell him." To be honest, Zoran had already gone inside the house, got the letter, and it was now in his pocket. If his friends had known that a few seconds ago, Amy would sure have beaten him up for it.

For now, Zoran was enjoying hanging them in suspense.

"Do you know where he went?" Amy asked him hopefully.

"Ah, that is the one thing I don't know. Ask me something else." Zoran joked. Amy looked like she was about to hit him, so Zoran figured it was time to tell her. "He left a letter behind. Here, take it, and read it. I don't think he's coming back anytime soon."

Amy read the letter, and hope became replaced with despair. Unfortunately, despair brings misery.

"He's gone, he's really gone!" Amy cried, and tears started pouring out of his eyes.

"You know what the worst part is? Where I go, you cannot follow." Zoran stated. "As if we wanted to really follow him anyway." Cream tried to reassure Amy, but to no avail.

"We can follow him! I just know it!" Amy said confidently, and replaced with that despair and misery she felt, she felt passion, a passion to find her Sonic.

Zoran sighed. "It won't be easy. We don't have the technology now that Tails is gone. Hmm. You know, he was the last kitsune."

"The last what?" Cream asked.

"Oh, it doesn't matter now. He's gone, and with it, the line of the kitsune. You know, his father had nine tails. Magnificent and he was really a nice guy, until the last of his years." Zoran turned to Amy. "But this isn't the best time for history, is it? We need, er, you want to find Sonic. So, I suppose you could start on your journey now."

"Alone? I'm bringing Cream with me!"

"What?" Zoran asked. "If you're bringing Cream with you, then I'm coming too."

"Why do you want to go with Cream?" Amy asked. "We don't need you!"

"Yes, you certainly will!" Zoran told her. "You have yet to see half of my abilities!" In truth, Zoran was afraid of being separated from his Answer, but he knew how to lie best: by hiding it under the truth.

"What about us?" Knuckles and Cosmo had appeared from the shrubs. Did they already know about everything?

"Well, as I always say, the more, the not so merry I am." Zoran said sarcastically, which earned him a dirty look from Knuckles.

"You're not going anywhere without us!" Knuckles ordered them, and Cosmo nodded.

"Alright, alright, you all can come. But I don't even know where to begin!"

Zoran laughed. "Leave that to me. If there's anything I can do, following is definitely one of the simpler things."

The Dread Lord's servant was not ignorant on the fact that Sonic had left his home, and he had given the Dread Lord the information he needed. "My Dread Lord, Sonic is on his own now. There wouldn't be a better time than now to turn him to our side."

The Dread Lord smiled sinisterly. "Remind me to pay you for your good service." The Dread Lord told him. The servant pleased, bowed, and left his presence.

The Dread Lord thought for a moment. Sonic was alone, traveling far away, probably to try to fight the evil taint. Perhaps he'd succeed, but Dread Lord did not want him to defeat the evil taint. No, the Dread Lord wanted him to _use_ the evil taint to destroy. It shouldn't be that hard. After all, desolation does not come without despair.

**A/N: A lot of wise statements here, but none of them are brain racking, I hope. The chapter titles come up a lot, I know, but they are named quite well, don't you think? Stay tuned!**


	5. Darkness and Light in every corner

Darkness and Light in every corner

**A/N: I have a formula on how I update my chapters. I'm afraid I'm quite behind so far with my update. I will not be able to update for two weeks, but hopefully the length of this chapter will make up for it.**

Like every one of Sonic's journey, they are always quiet at the beginning. Whether it was destroying the Metarex, or attacking Eggman, the journey is always quietest… at the beginning.

The thickening in the trees did not make him go slower. He just kept running, and running, and running. He did not know where. The taint that was corrupting his mind was driving him crazy. At times, he felt like giving in. Each time this thought came up, he became more despair.

He also felt miserable. It was his fault for his blunders on their last journey. He could have better protected Tails, but he failed. He hurt his friends; he attacked them, all because of the dark taint

Had Sonic known Tails was alive at that moment, he would have never left, and had he left anyway, he would never have accepted his dark destiny. Because he did, his dark path begins here.

Sonic finally stopped by a tree. Enraged, miserable, and depressed, he punched the trunk of the tree with so much power, aided with the infusion of the dark taint, and knocked it to the ground. Sonic then sat on its stump, and sighed.

At this moment, a figure approached him, speaking rather pitifully. "Why are you alone in this dark, cold forest? Surely you have a home?"

Sonic looked up at the figure. "You're a wolf."

The wolf laughed. "No longer. I call myself the Dread Lord, and I have embraced power. Power to do as I please. Power that you, too, could possess, with more ease than I."

"What do you mean, Dread Lord?" Sonic said rather spitefully. He didn't want to talk anyone.

"Look at you, you are alone, your friends have abandoned you, you feel guilty for the deeds you are done." Sonic was about to reply, but the Dread Lord caught him off. "I know that you possessed the dark taint of the Soul Diamond. I can teach you to control it, to use it, and to not be possessed of it."

"And how do I do that? Any minute now I could destroy all animal-kind." Sonic replied gloomily.

"Ah, cheer up, hedgehog. I have a solution…" The Dread Lord cleared his throat, and continued. Had Sonic asked seen the Dread Lord's face, as for it was hidden by his hood, he may not have been so keen to ask him.

"The taint is content when there is destruction, and is also content when the host is in a powerful state. You do not, however, like to destroy, nor are you in a currently powerful state. You could however, be in both."

"I don't like the sound of this…" Sonic stated, but the Dread Lord did not appear to listen.

"This world is in a pitiful state. It needs a firm ruler. If you would take that position, then you would not have to worry about the taint."

"I don't want to rule the world!" Sonic cried.

The Dread Lord sighed. "If you do nothing, then eventually the taint will consume you, and you will destroy it. You can bring a little destruction in your reign, or total destruction in your misery. Should you choose the wiser option, I shall guide you well."

Sonic said nothing for a moment. If he was not in such a miserable state, he would have realized that the Dread Lord had left something out, and he would have also realized that both decisions were dark and evil indeed. But alas, he has already doomed himself by leaving the safety of being with friends. It is too late to turn back for him.

Sonic nodded his head. "I'll take over this pitiful world. Perhaps it will remember me when I start to conquer it!" Revenge was part of his decision, and this was the first step he took down to his doom. Then he turned to the Dread Lord. "But I don't have anything to fight with! How am I supposed to…?"

Sonic heard a voice muttering to himself. "How big is this forest? Perhaps if I fly up and take a look? But what if I get seen? This forest may not be a very safe place? I don't even know where I'm going! Aw, darn, I think I took the same turn twice?"

It did not take Sonic very long to realize that this was the voice of the dead speaking. This was the voice of Tails.

The Dread Lord called to the intruder rather boldly. The Dread Lord did not know that Tails was supposed to be dead. "Hello out there! Perhaps we can help you find your way?"

Tails, as trusting as he was, went toward the voice, and saw Sonic and the wolf. He took no heed of the wolf; he ran up and hugged Sonic. Sonic was still stupefied. When Tails let go and looked up at him, he started going off. "You know how long I've been out here, Sonic? Four days! Four! I've barely had any food or water, barely able to find any! I didn't have any of my nifty inventions to help, either! I actually thought I would die after I had just come back!"

Then Tails finally took notice of the Dread Lord. "Ah, but who is this?"

Sonic filled him in with what the Dread Lord said. The Dread Lord wisely, said nothing. Tails felt doubtful. "World domination? Isn't that what Eggman's always trying to do?"

Sonic nodded. "He shall be my first target. I've got to get rid of the competition, after all." The Dread Lord, with his charismatic voice, had fully swayed Sonic to his biding. He smiled at Sonic's idea.

Tails still wasn't convinced. "I don't know Sonic…" In truth, Tails could not decide between his loyalties to Sonic and what he felt was right.

Sonic put his hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, buddy. Besides, the Dread Lord knows what he's doing. With the power he promises, we could really make the world a better place."

"I would get moving to this Eggman of yours. It would be wise to destroy him now, and prove to yourself that you are willing to do this." Sonic nodded, and Tails, finally giving in, followed him. "I will meet with you when you have done this."

The Dread Lord watched them leave, and smiled inwardly to himself. Not only had he began Sonic's fall, but he had also begun his sidekick's fall to evil. He laughed an evil laugh, before suddenly disappearing.

(1 Hour later…)

At the same spot that Sonic had just spoken to the Dread Lord, Amy had just come upon. Zoran was looking at the ground, studying the footprints. "There were two others here. Two are definitely of the dog family, but I do not know if Sonic came across two dogs, two wolves, or two foxes." Zoran did notice that one set of prints were a bit familiar, but they weren't familiar enough to him to recall who it was.

"Well, where did he go?"

"Sonic and someone else turned back. Either he's running from someone, or he's going towards home."

"So he's going home?" Amy said hopefully.

"Perhaps, but the tracks don't point exactly that direction. But he could just be lost as well."

Amy sighed as Cream tried to comfort her. "I think he's gone back. Perhaps he's finally realized his mistakes."

"He better not have!" Knuckles stated. "If he did, he made use do this all for nothing!"

"But there are two others here!" Cosmo pointed out. "Could they have hurt him?"

Zoran thought for a moment. "The tracks are fresh; blood would surely be noticed here."

Amy piped up. "Come on, Zoran, lead us on. The longer we stand here, the farther away he gets…"

**A/N: A nice, long chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Please, Review!**


	6. The Beginning of a Dark Road

The Beginning of a Dark Road

**A/N: Tails is back! (He's not a fake, don't worry.) While we celebrate, we shall follow him and Sonic to their destination…**

Sonic was extremely happy with Tails return. He was extremely interested and amazed on how he managed to survive on his own for several days. Tails gladly filled him in on the past events, mostly to keep Sonic's plans out of his mind.

In his mind, was a battle between his loyalty to Sonic and what seemed right. They were fighting Eggman, so what? Tails hardly cared about what happened to Eggman. He was an evil man, after all.

Yet from what the idea seemed to sound like, it was as if they were following the mad scientist's foot steps. "Are you sure about this, Sonic? Perhaps there is another way to get rid of the taint?" But Sonic was firm.

"I'm sure, Tails. Anything to get rid of this darn taint. And besides, the people will love me. They won't care if I'm ruler."

Sonic sounded so certain that Tails did not question him again.

"We'll be in Eggman's base in a day. It's about time someone teaches him a lesson… again." Sonic laughed again, something of his old self. Tails laughed too, a bit relieved.

(Back to Sonic's friends…)

Zoran was getting very annoyed at Amy's continuous yelling at him. "Can't you go faster?" Amy asked him.

Zoran laughed. "I can go a little faster, but look at everyone." He gestured to Cream, who was nearly out of breath, and Knuckles, who was hiding his fatigue quite well. "They're exhausted. And besides, I can't go Mach 1. I'm not Sonic."

This seemed to make Amy only angrier. Zoran studied the tracks for a moment, before speaking to Amy. "The tracks go southeast. Do you have any idea where that may lead?"

Amy nodded. "If we go several hours farther, we'll arrive at Eggman's base, or at least, that was what Sonic suspects." She said. "But why would he go there? He himself said that he doubted Eggman would make a base here."

Zoran shook his head. "Perhaps he has cleared all doubt from his mind." Zoran replied plainly.

"Well, if he's gone to kick Eggman's rear to the moon, why didn't he invite us?" Knuckles asked him.

Zoran thought for a moment. "He is a hero. Sometimes heroes go places alone, thinking that it is too dangerous to bring friends along. Perhaps that may be why."

"But we've all fought Eggman!" Knuckles countered.

"Then perhaps Sonic has gone for a more personal reason. Perhaps there is something else that is guiding him." Zoran suspected.

"I don't care why he left; I just want to find him!" Amy shouted.

"What if he doesn't want to be found?" Zoran stated.

"Why would he not want to be found?" Cream said, joining them in their conversation.

"Sonic wouldn't want to be away from his friends!" Amy cried.

Zoran thought for a moment. "I don't understand any of Sonic's logic. I fear something is amidst in the air, but I cannot tell what." Zoran lowered his head, staring at the tracks again.

"Can we rest for the night?" Cream begged him. "My feet are killing me!"

In the past, Zoran would have demanded that they continue on. But Cream was the Answer, an Answer he had nearly lost. He was intent on making her happy.

"Then let's set up camp." He said.

It did not take long to get a fire going, and Zoran wondered how quickly Knuckles had fallen asleep. Amazingly, he had slept before the fire was even burning. "Must have been very fatigued." Amy stated, observing him.

Cream herself would have probably fell asleep instantly, but she noticed Zoran wide awake, looking from one side of the forest to another, not seeming to want to rest at all.

She remembered Zoran's words about his earlier life. All of that death he had seen, how could he live with it. She could not help but look at him with pity, and she quickly turned away when Zoran turned toward her way.

She decided to let the matter rest. Zoran's history was his own. Perhaps it was best not to pry in it…

(During the night….)

Sonic looked around. He was standing in front of hundreds of people, and he watched as they cheered as he held up the crown in front of them He raised it up and placed it on his head, and they cheered even louder as the gold crown and its jewels shined brightly on his head.

And when Sonic awoke from this dream, he knew that it was only a short time before it all came true….

**A/N: Alright! Next chapter takes place at Eggman's base. Will Sonic be able to storm it?**


	7. Cold Justice

**Cold Justice**

**A/N: There is some action and "cold justice" in this chapter.**

**You all know that no character belongs to me (Excluding Zoran. And if you're wondering what he means when he says the Answer, read the "Lost Answer" or just wait a few chapters.)**

Once Sonic and Tails were near the vicinity of Eggman's base, Sonic began to plan. The dark taint in him was quiet, as if it wanted to wait before it could feast on the destruction it would see this morning.

"Are you sure he won't notice?" Tails asked him, as he examined the plan Sonic had drawn out on the ground.

"I'm sure he won't, not after you've disabled the security system." Sonic assured him. "Besides, he'll be so distracted by me he won't even stop to think about it."

"It sounds odd, destroying him with what he intends to destroy us with." Tails said to him. Sonic laughed, a cold laugh, one heightened by the roaring dark taint. But once Eggman was gone, Sonic would have more control over the dark taint, and not go mad with thoughts of destruction so much, though he knew they would not go entirely away until his goals were complete.

"Are you ready, Tails?" Tails nodded, ready to support his buddy.

"Let's go!" He cried, and they rushed towards Eggman's base.

(Elsewhere…)

Amy and company had finally awaken. Knuckles had obviously not liked sleeping in this place. He had a very cold expression on his face.

"Why don't we just give up searching for Sonic?" Knuckles suggested grumpily. "We'll never find him at this rate. He's a lot faster than us, too fast for us to even get into seeing distance."

"Knuckles, I'm not resting until I find him again." Amy said, nearly shouting at him.

"Alright, Alright!" He shouted. "I know I'm not getting anywhere with this, but you've got to admit, we only seem to be getting farther and farther away."

They began to bicker, and Zoran shook his head in both amusement and annoyance. "Neither one of them are completely right." Zoran said quietly to Cream. "We're gaining on him about a minute a day. And Sonic is also hardly moving any faster than us, I'd find it difficult to go fast in a highly forested area." He was definitely right.

Zoran sighed. "I'm going on, with or without you guys." He told them. "Seriously, there is a time to argue, a time to fight, a time to get moving, a time to run… the list goes on and on. But seriously, can we get moving before I grow ancient? My bones are already rotting in the grave."

No one laughed but Cream, who giggled at Zoran's joke. "Fine, let's go. But we better not run into any holes in the ground. I'm not falling into another one like I did… WAHHHH!" Knuckles had fallen into another hole in the ground.

(Meanwhile…)

Sonic didn't even bother for secrecy. The element of surprise had already been won. He rushed toward the entrance of the base, dodging several missiles and lasers aimed his way. The entrance, was of course, closing on him. But Sonic knew he would make it through. He quickly slid through the entrance, just making it through.

"Intruder alert!" The alarm system shouted. "Intruder Alert!"

Sonic quickly destroyed whatever security he noticed. It would be extremely important to do so for Tails' part of the mission, which he hoped he would pull off.

"Now, if I were Eggman, were would I be right now in here?" He thought to himself.

"Of course!" Sonic cried out. "I'd be eating right now!"

He turned a corner, quickly looking for his enemy…

…Tails, meanwhile… was stealthily trying to prod into the security of Eggman's lab. "Please enter passcode." The thing said.

"Forget that!" Tails said to himself. He started hacking into the system. "Just a few more seconds…" The door opened, and Tails entered the lab.

He looked around. There it was, exactly what Sonic had wanted to use on Eggman:

Explosives.

If they could keep Eggman distracted long enough, then his evil would no longer affect the world. But was it right?

Tails thought of Sonic. Surely he must know what he was doing. Plus, the sooner they got done with this, the sooner he'd see the rest of his friends, and the sooner he'd be reunited with Cosmo…

Tails began hacking through the last set of security codes. This wouldn't take long, and Tails knew Sonic's victory would come soon… very soon…

… Sonic was right. Eggman, however, was ready for him. He had a small armada of robots guarding him. He smiled evilly. "My, my." He said with an unpleasant smile on his face. "Don't you know you should knock before entering?"

"It's time for you to perish, Eggman!" Sonic shouted. He didn't know whether it was him or the taint that mad him shout that cry. He felt angry, knew Eggman deserved death.

"No, it is you who shall be destroyed!" Eggman cried. How many times he said that, Sonic didn't know. He had lost count at 52 times.

His robots began to fire profusely. Sonic just barely avoided the first few shots, but in no time at all he rammed through the first row of them. Not slowing down, he completely put another row into disrepair, and another. When the last row was destroyed, Sonic looked at Eggman, pleased at the look of surprise on his face.

Sonic heard a beep. It was coming from his com link. Tails had planted the explosives, and they were about to go off. "Goodbye Eggman. I don't think we'll be seeing each other again."

"What do y-," Eggman stammered, but Sonic was gone. Then it came to him. The hedgehog had outfoxed him again.

"That darn-" but he did not finish. The entire complex began to fall on him as the explosives had gone off.

Sonic, meanwhile, watched the glorious scene. "At last…" He said. He felt the taint in him roar in triumph, and Sonic felt as if he had more control over it. The Dread Lord was right.

Tails was looking at the scene with a mysterious look. Did Sonic really do the right thing? But when he looked at his best friend, he seemed happier than ever. But he had to ask him one thing. "Sonic," he began. "Where do we go from here?"

Sonic smiled at his friend. "Where else?" He stated. "Home. It's time someone takes control of things back there."

**A/N: Please review, and tell me what I could improve on, or should consider. Stay tuned, next chapter gets serious…**


	8. Fire in the Sky

Fire in the Sky

Zoran had heard the explosion from miles away. He did not know the cause, he could only guess. But if he was right, it came in the direction from which they were following Sonic. He may have had something to do with it. Or perhaps not…

Amy and the turned toward the source of the sound when they heard another, louder explosion than the first. They could see its effect in the sky…

"What's going on?" Amy asked Zoran.

"Something's gone amidst out there. The explosion occurred toward the direction of Sonic." Amy grew worried.

"Zoran, what if he was in the explosion?" She asked him.

"Do you really think he wouldn't be able to get out fast enough?" He replied. It was good enough for Amy. Cosmo and Cream seemed they'd rather take the good turn out than the bad one. Knuckles was not listening, still looking toward the explosion sight.

"Come on, let's go toward the explosion, and find out what's going on…"

(Elsewhere…)

Tails had not acted the same since the incident. Was it justice? It just didn't seem right…

He had tried to tell this to Sonic, but he wouldn't listen. "Tails, it was necessary." He replied. Was it? Tails didn't know what to think anymore.

Why did Sonic even trust the Dread Lord? The Dread Lord seemed… evil… somehow. Tails shivered at the way he acted. Tails really wanted to believe he was doing the right thing.

"Everything Sonic has done has been for the greater good. I should not question what he does." Tails said to himself.

It seemed good enough for him. Yet as day turned to night, it still bothered him when suddenly, they encountered the Dread Lord. He was smiling toward them. "You've both performed excellently, as soon as you arrive home, you'll be surprised how many people will applaud for you!" He seemed highly triumphant.

"That moment will be perfect for declaring me emperor." Sonic stated to him. "None of my enemies will get in my way now…" There was something different about Sonic, too. He was more confident, he was stronger, and yet more terrible. But he was Sonic, that was all that mattered…

Sonic turned to Tails. "You, my buddy," He began. "You will be my top general and strategist, my advisor, my engineer, and my scientist."

Tails was shocked. "Me? But surely there are others more worthier, Sonic?"

Sonic shook his head. "No, there are none worthier than you, my friend. After all, you are the only one I can trust."

The Dread Lord nodded. "Already you are wise, Sonic. With the kitsune's genius aiding you, you will be nearly invincible."

Sonic nodded. "Nearly is not enough." He said to the Dread Lord. "I will strive to be invincible during my reign." Sonic's cold confidence was admired by the Dread Lord.

"Good. But save the rest of your talk for the town. They are waiting for you…."

(Back to Sonic's friends… )

The ruins of Eggman's base were smoked from fire. They all stared at the scene. Evidently Sonic had been here…

They were surprised to see a hand rising from the rubble. It was Eggman. He slowly got up, exhausted from the effort. When he saw Sonic's friends, he grew cold with hatred.

"Great, what are you here for, to finish me off? Sonic's already tried to kill me…"

"Who the heck are you?" Zoran stated to Eggman. Eggman was taken aback. Zoran had never met the man before.

"Save the introductions for later!" Knuckles shouted. "What happened here, Eggman? Where's Sonic?"

"Sonic's probably run off, right after he attempted to kill me. That spiky pest, I swear there's something as evil as me in him…"

"Typical," Knuckles said. "You and your lies…"

"Knuckles," Cosmo whispered softly to him. "There is no lie in his voice…"

"What?" Amy said, surprised.

"She's right." Zoran said.

"And how do you two know?" Cream asked them curiously.

"Natural instincts." They said together, surprised when they did so. "Well, look at this place." Zoran said. "I don't have to use my magic to figure this out. Sonic obviously planned to do this…"

"Yes, exactly!" Eggman cried. "He was here with someone else, he wouldn't know how to make this place explode. I bet it was that tag-along of his…"

"Another lie!" Knuckles said, forgetting that the first lie was cleared up. "Tails is dead, and you said yourself, no one else knows how to do stuff like this…"

"You probably caused it yourself!" Amy said to him.

"Amy, I'm not liking this place…" Cosmo said. It wasn't nice looking. A few of the trees were scorched from the explosion, which was likely her primary reason.

"Sonic was not the only one who came here…" Zoran said. "There's evidence of more than one set of tracks… and one of them looks like the one I saw days before… and if I'm right, the ones I saw months before…"

"What are you talking about?" Knuckles asked. "Sonic and Eggman were the only ones here!"

"I'm saying that Sonic did not come here alone, were you not listening?" Zoran said. "It seems to me as if Sonic has found his old friend again…"

Knuckles had no idea what he was talking about. But Cosmo slowly understood, and slowly, her heart began to smile…

**A/N: And thus, the others finally discover Tails is alive. But for better or worse? If Tails is serving the fallen Sonic… then surely something dark must be in the air…**


	9. To Fear or to Love?

To Fear or to Love?

It seemed as if the entire town had been waiting for him. They cheered at him, glad that he had returned. But none of them yet knew his purpose…

Sonic was marching toward the city hall, where he would speak, as the Dread Lord had planned carefully. He was ready for this; Sonic knew this must be done for the greater good.

Yet should he follow this cold path? Tails was looking at him, probably still unsure about his decision. Sonic himself was having doubts. After all, this was the last chance to go back…

Yet Sonic did not want the taint to take control again, he couldn't. He had committed great evil when it did, and Sonic would rather do anything else than be turned into a monster from the taint.

He reached the top of the flight of the stairs, and the entire city was watching for him, waiting for him to speak. Sonic noticed the Dread Lord standing near him, finely clothed, and smiling encouragingly. He looked at his sidekick, who gave him a thumbs up. He looked toward the crowd, searching for his friends, but they weren't there. Sonic figured that would be for the better.

Sonic took a breath, before finally clearing all the doubts from his mind. "My fellow citizens, you welcome me back even when I left thee, when I was afraid of myself. You have taught me to fight that fear of my own power, and accept it. For this, I thank you." The crowd cheered, and Sonic paused.

"That is why, I am declaring myself emperor of this country." Sonic said. This was greeted with a mixed reaction, but Sonic was determined.

"My friends, how many times have I saved you?" He asked them. "Countless times." How many times has the current leaders failed you?" Sonic looked toward the mayor of the city, likely shocked from his announcement, perhaps even about to call security. But the Dread Lord had been prepared, and in a matter of seconds, he would realize that he had no security forces on his side. "Countless times. With me as emperor, I will never fail you, and most importantly, I always watch out for you all, and make this land the greatest in the galaxy!"

Sonic's speech was greeted by cheers. It was not magnificent; it did not have to be. Sonic's fame did that all for him. Sonic was sure the Dread Lord knew this. He could already hear the mayor yelling out for the security. Sonic smiled coldly. "My police officers please arrest this pathetic mayor." The crowd cheered as the mayor was chained, and taken away.

Sonic turned away from the crowd, glancing at the mayor's old place. It would simply not do, he would need a new, glorious place, and he wanted it to be built quickly, to show how quickly his homeland would rise to power.

He turned to Tails. "Ready to aid me, my lead engineer?"

Tails was silent for a moment, before a smiled formed on his face. "Always."

**A/N: Short Chapter, but, to the point, at least. Will Sonic's reign give the people glory, or will it be a corrupt, evil government? R&R to find out!**


	10. Who loves a Tyrant?

**Who loves a Tyrant?**

**A/N: Update soon, you say. Sorry if this isn't "soon" but man, with all sorts of forces working against you, its not easy to do this. But one thing's certain, I will finish this story.**

Zoran silently lead the company through the trail. Of them all, only he fully believed Tails was alive. The others were uncertain or too afraid to believe it in fear of shattered hope, the latter in Cosmo's case.

But technically, he had never died, but something far worse… Zoran remembered with a grimace. It was Knuckles stupidity that had caused him to destroy the Soul Diamond a second too soon, and to make Tails stuck in the heavenly world. There must be very few worse things than to be alive in a world of dead, if that is worse than death.

Knuckles did not believe a word of his "theory" but the evidence was all over the place. Even now, Zoran was following their trail, but Knuckles would have none of it.

"There was no way for him to come back, Zoran." Knuckles argued. "Stop placing hope in places where there should be none."

Of course, Cosmo was joyous of Zoran's "theory" and a bit angry about Knuckles disbelief, but his disbelief was enough for her to look at Zoran uncertainly.

Amy and Cream both seemed far more eager to accept the happier idea than the gloomier one.

When Zoran pointed this out, Knuckles shook his head, crossed his arms, and did not speak with anyone for the remainder of the day.

The sky was getting darker and Zoran was still following the trail, and he already knew where it led

It led to home.

But why? Zoran could not yet come up with the answer. It could be any number of things, he knew. But Sonic most certainly must have realized something, or Tails could have persuaded him to go back. But the second guess was only true if his "theory" was correct.

Zoran doubted himself now, despite his own certainty. Zoran's guesses were nearly always right; whatever he did not guess had an even greater accuracy. Yet the doubt was still there.

They were near civilization, but Zoran always preferred resting in the outdoors. "Let's stop and rest here." He told the other four, and they happily agreed, especially Amy, who was wearing her typical clothing that was not exactly meant for ultra long nature walks.

Knuckles yawned, but still angry at the others for their supposed "foolishness," he rested behind a tree, so he could not see them. "He's just being stubborn." Amy told a worried Cream.

Cosmo was resting somewhere among the plants. It was difficult to locate her in the day when she was walking through green vegetation, but at night, while she was sleeping in it, it was nearly impossible.

Cream did not yet slumber, she was muttering happily to herself. Zoran wished he could find something to be happy about.

His life? Not at all. There was nothing happy about his life. The fact that his cousin had managed to leave the heavenly realm? Perhaps, but Zoran knew that he had some part in him getting there in the first place. Could he find happiness in that? Was their happiness when one felt miserable because of memories dark and more terrible than a black hole?

Cream turned to him sadly, giving him a sad look. "You look terrible, Zoran." She noticed. "Is something wrong?"

Zoran gave her a small smile. "No, but thanks to your concern," He answered her. "It is usual for me to not fall asleep easily."

"Why is that so?" She asked curiously. Zoran sighed sadly, looking up at the night sky.

"Perhaps it is because I am not used to such a safe world." Zoran answered her slowly. "My home world was once safe, but that was until my father came in play. He betrayed my uncle; he attacked him and tried to slay Miles, but my sister and I managed to get him through a warp gate. We then stayed behind after we got him through, to try to get my father to see some sense, but my father wouldn't listen. He captured my sister, even tried to kill me."

"But why?" Cream asked.

Zoran laughed. "Because he was jealous, and he always had the heart of a dark person. He hated me because I was like my uncle, who he loathed because of his fame, of his power, of his benevolence, and because of his nine tails. My father only had one. The fact that my uncle had nine was glorious, because it meant that every fox of his line would always have more than one tail. He hated him for that because it gave him so much honor."

Zoran turned away for a moment, staring at a tree, before turning to look at Cream again. "He managed to kill my uncle. I was there, and I could not stop him from doing so."

Zoran looked sad, but he did not cry. He had lost all of his tears long ago… "I was furious. I loved my uncle, and when I saw my father kill him, I charged right at my father and avenged my uncle, defeating him in battle. I watched him die with little regret. I hated him so much for killing my uncle, who I loved as a guardian, being there for my failure of a father." Zoran said his words with so much hatred it scared Cream.

"I ran away after that, because I could not stand that place. But it was worse out there, away from home, where there was no tolerance for my people. I was hardly treated any better in these places. But for years, I have done every good and evil deed one could name, all to stay alive, and to make my pathetic home world a better place."

Zoran turned to her. "But then I remembered Miles. He was, after all, the last surviving kitsune. Once I got entangled with my Dark Ranger duties, I figured the time would come soon to find him. And when the Oracle sent me on the seemingly impossible task of searching for the Answer, I knew it was something or someone in this world. But in all things, I do not know why it was you who is my Answer. Worse yet, I do not know what you answer."

Zoran grew silent, and a warm smile formed on his face. "Your story is a sad one, Zoran." Cream said to him.

Zoran nodded. "Hardly any more sorrowful than the thought of death really," He half-joked. Then his features grew more serious. "I thank you for listening to my dark tale. I did not think I'd ever share it with anyone."

"Well, then you should be happy you shared it with me, then." Cream replied, and Zoran gave her one of his rare, happy smiles.

And for the first time, Zoran slept peacefully.

Sonic was alarmed at the news that Tails had brought him. Well, the second half of it, though Tails thought the first half far more important. "So it seems as if the other nations dislike the fact that I have taken the title emperor." Sonic smiled rather ruthlessly. "Well, they'll just have to get used to it. And if they threaten me, they'll certainly be sorry."

"Sonic, we don't have much of a standing army." Tails informed him. "Nor do we have much in technological weapons. Have you seen how terrible the weapons are? Most are hardly usable."

Sonic smiled at his friend's brilliance. Already, with his genius in machinery, and with Sonic's urging to do more than he had ever thought himself able, Tails had already finished half of Sonic's new palace, and already was working on state-of-the-art security. Better yet, he was working on a super fast plane, one that would go half of the speed of light. All of this he had begun and/or accomplished in a single day. Because of all the work he was focused on, he spent less and less time thinking about Cosmo, which the Dread Lord had advised him to do. "Diminish the love in his heart slowly." He advised him. "Your fox friend is vulnerable to it too much, but there is not much you can do about it. Keep him busy with a love of anything besides a person, and he shall be most useful to you, for he shall forget all else but his work."

He seemed to be right. Tails had not once mentioned Cosmo, until now, when he had presented the news.

"And Sonic, what about our friends?" Tails asked him. That was his first piece of news. Sonic was not surprised they had tried to look for him, but he was more surprised that they hadn't given up looking for him.

"When they come, I shall present them with a choice…" Sonic began. "I only hope they make the right one."

"Sonic, what choice is that?" He asked them.

He smiled at his loyal friend. "You'll see. You'll see."

Tails smiled, and Sonic knew that it was time to act on the second part of his plan. "A leader lies even to his most trustable subjects. Lie to your fox friend, and free him from love's grasp. Then, he shall serve you fully, and with his aid, your power and influence, and my wisdom, the three of us will be invincible." The Dread Lord gave him a smile when he said this. "All you have to do is crush his heart and break it to smithereens. You'll be surprised what words can do…"

_Break his heart… _"Tails, there is something I'd like to share with you…" Sonic said cunningly. "Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

**A/N: Sonic has fallen too far down, and Tails is about to go with him? But wait, what about Sonic's friends? What will happen to him? R and R to find out.**


	11. The Choice that Determines one's destiny

**The Choice that determines one's destiny…**

**A/N: Bit too long on the update, I know…**

"Zoran, we're back home!" Amy said, both relieved and confused. "Is Sonic back here?" They had been traveling for a few days longer than she wanted to, but Zoran wanted to ask on the perimeter of the town for Sonic before entering. They all had said he was here.

Zoran thought for a moment, before he laughed, pointing at a banner. There stood a picture of a Sonic, poised in a position that showed his power.

"Rather unlike him, don't you think?" A voice asked. Zoran turned slowly, noticing a odd figure appearing from the shadows. It was Rouge, who had a disgusted look on her face, and next to her stood a figure Zoran didn't recognize, but the others did.

"Shadow!" Knuckles shouted. "I thought you were dead."

"Hmm." Shadow simply replied.

"It seems as if everyone's coming back from the dead, if you ask me." Amy said. "First Cosmo, then Tails, and now Shadow? What's the world coming to?"

"Since when did Tails even die?" Shadow asked surprised.

"And since did he come back?" Rouge said, also surprised.

"Tails never really died." Zoran corrected his friends. "But he "came back" several days ago. We haven't seen him, but we know he's back. We've been following fox tracks that look exactly like his!"

"I think you're right." Rouge replied. "Just last night, they've finished constructing some building. It only took them two days to finish it!"

"What building?" Cosmo asked curiously.

"Some palace." Shadow said. "It looks like a palace for Sonic, because it has his name written all over it."

"What?" Cream said, disbelievingly.

"Yep, Sonic's hasn't been the same since he's returned." Rouge said. "If you want to go with us to visit him, you'll see for yourselves."

"Of course we're going!" Amy cried. "We have to go!"

"Then follow us, and swiftly. I'd rather be there before all the crowds start coming."

They made their way swiftly, but they closer they got, the more Zoran noticed that everything around them seemed to glorify Sonic. "Must be quite excited about his return," Zoran said to himself.

Zoran was not ready to look at the palace. When they stood in front of it, Zoran was amazed at its beauty, symmetry, and size. And it had been made in two days! There was no engineer or architect who could have done something as quickly as his cousin. He had to be alive!

The friends rushed through their doors, but none of them were ready for what was behind it…

Sonic had already done far more than he would have thought he had accomplished, mostly thanks to Tails. Tails was already assembling a powerful robotic army for him to utilize against his enemies, who were like assembling forces of their own. Their army however, could be wounded. His could not.

Not only had Tails done that, but he was already making strategic plans, stronger weapons, arranging pilots to guard the sky and more. Sonic could not remember when Tails had ever done as much work as he had done today. And it was all possible with the Dread Lord's advice, and with his strong influence. The advice to simply to break Tails heart to highly increase his service seemed to work. He wished he didn't have to lie to him, but it was for the best. Besides, the Seedrian would only get in the way… Sonic sighed. He did not think he could let her live when she came through the doors, for he knew she would make the wrong choice…

Sonic watched the door open, and his friends enter. The Dread Lord walked down the flight of stairs to greet them. Sonic was watching them from a side window. They would not notice him, the room was too dark for them to see through.

Sonic was surprised to see Shadow in their number. Wasn't he dead? Perhaps anyone could decide to come back to life these days…

"Welcome, welcome!" The Dread Lord greeted the company. "Welcome to the Emperor Sonic's palace. I assume you have business here?"

"Emperor?" Cream said, confused.

"I told you there was something different about him." Rouge told her.

"Oh, you speak nonsense, my lady." The Dread Lord said to her. "Sonic is only more powerful than he was before, far more powerful, and he has finally utilized the entire potential of it, rather than a mere portion. His companion has done the same, and I'm quite impressed by both of their efforts."

"So Tails is alive…" Sonic heard Zoran speak. The Dread Lord laughed.

"Alive and a new person." The Dread Lord told them. "He has realized that a certain love was holding him back, and by letting go of it, he can put all of his energy into using his abilities usefully."

"What?" Cosmo asked confused. "What are you talking about?"

The Dread Lord shook his head. "You don't understand, do you? Sonic is emperor, and with Tails' service, he shall soon be invincible. He shall bring great change, as for he will be the first to unite the world under one ruler, eliminate anything that opposes him, and turn this world into what it should be."

"It sounds as if Sonic's no better than Eggman." Knuckles figured. "If he's changed sides…"

"He has never changed sides." The Dread Lord informed him. "He has always stayed on the side which was right. You, however, have shifted sides. Sonic is dismayed by this, and asks that you join him once again, or face dire consequences…" Sonic nearly laughed. The way the Dread Lord spoke, he seemed to make the decision easy.

"Think of what you could become, Knuckles." The Dread Lord told him. "You could be the emperor's champion, the warrior sent out to do his bidding. You could be a hero amongst your people."

"Destroying innocent lives? Never!" Knuckles shouted. "If Sonic's fallen to evil, he's going down!"

"A tragedy." The Dread Lord shook his head. Sonic was not surprised. Knuckles was gullible, but he wouldn't fight for evil. Never, no matter how hard you tried to trick him.

"What about you, Ms. Rose." The Dread Lord asked her. "You could easily be the Emperor's wife, you could finally achieve the dream you've always wanted."

"But…" Amy hesitated.

"Don't listen to him!" Knuckles cried. "He's a phony."

The Dread Lord laughed, unstirred by Knuckle's words. "But certainly marriage to Sonic could be arranged in days. You could have everything you wanted, everything."

"But we're hurting innocents!"

"No, we are only removing those who are too ignorant to understand. And there is no worse thing than being ignorant. Just like you are now, madam, by not listening to your own heart."

Amy's hesitation seemed to fly out with the air. She walked to the other side, facing her friends. "I'm with Sonic guys! He always knows what he's doing!"

Sonic knew he would have to go through with this marriage the Dread Lord proposed. Besides, it would have happened sometime anyway. Amy would have kept being persistent; he would have given up in a few years.

But now his interest went with the remaining five. One of which he was certain would side against him. The Dread Lord and Sonic did not want Cosmo on his side, he would say nothing to encourage her.

"This is wrong, Amy." Cosmo spoke. "Can't you see…"

"I only see that you're certainly not going to switch sides." Amy said coldly. "You'll even side against Tails!"

Cosmo was taken aback, and for a moment, Sonic thought she would join him. But then she shook her head. "I'll never serve darkness, even if it means going against my love."

The Dread Lord looked at her with false pity. "You don't have the heart anyway." The Dread Lord turned to Cream. "Miss, you could definitely aid us in our difficult task. We are fighting a foe that is terrible. We must use dark ways to destroy it, but it must be done."

"I…" Cream began, but Zoran interrupted her.

"No!" Zoran shouted. "She'll never side with you! I care for her too much for her to let her foolishly fall for your twisted tongue!"

Cream was surprised by Zoran's anger and pleased that he was defending her. She took his hand in his, and she shook her head. "No, I shall take the side Zoran takes."

The Dread Lord shook his head. Sonic knew Cream wouldn't be much to use to him, but Zoran would have been quite useful to him. He was a bit disappointed, but was interested in how long Zoran would hold out against him.

He turned his eye to the remaining two. "Before I say no, exactly how much will I get paid?" Rouge asked.

The Dread Lord smiled. "If infinite was a number…" 

Rouge's smile began to widen. The others looked in horror. But before they could speak, Rouge had made her decision. "I'll be quite interested to see how high that number is." Rouge stated as she stood next to Amy.

"When we met in battle, you're going down, you bat!" Knuckles shouted. Rouge gave Knuckles an odd look, Sonic had a feeling it held two reactions in one. One was mockery, the other disappointment.

The Dread Lord finally turned to Shadow.

"Ah, and you…"

"Just shut up!" Shadow shouted. "I've made an oath to protect the human race, not to harm it! Besides, I never liked the hedgehog, anyway!" The Dread Lord laughed, before signaling Rouge and Amy to climb up the stairs.

The Dread Lord looked at the remaining group. "I cannot allow the remainder of you to live. I'm afraid the time to die has come."

In seconds an alarmed sounded, but before any of the remaining five could run, the room was filled with guards, thanks to Tails top of the line security system.

Tails himself appeared behind them, and when he spoke, they all turned around to look at him, afraid and surprised. "It appears as if you have chosen your fate."

The smile on Tails face was dark indeed.

A/N: What? Where's the rest? Don't worry; more chapters are to come…


	12. Decieve

**Deceive**

Sonic wished he could watch the ensuing battle, but he had other matters to take care of at the moment. Like making sure his new allies would not change their minds. His guards had already instructed Amy and Rouge to go to his lounge, he had gone to met them there.

When he entered there, Amy came up and hugged him, and Sonic couldn't help but smile. He was glad he was not alone in this decision of his. Sometimes… it even felt wrong.

But it was necessary, and Sonic was certain of that.

"So, exactly when do I get my jewels?" Rouge asked him. Sonic nearly laughed.

"Look in the chest to your left." The object Sonic pointed out looked like a treasure chest. Rouge opened it up, and saw tons of jewels in there. "Once you empty it out, my servants will be glad to fill it up at a moment's notice."

Rouge smiled, and Amy looked up at him in total bliss. "Now, Amy, we have some catching up to do, don't we?" He asked her. He led her by the hand out of the room, where he could perhaps learn a thing or two from Amy's recent travels, or perhaps engage in other pleasurable activities.

None of them could quite remember how the world had flipped upside down. Cosmo was appalled, Cream thought she must be paler than a ghost, Knuckles looked as if he was about to explode, Shadow seemed ready to fight (almost too ready…) and Zoran masked his reaction with a look of indifference. "Great, this is the second time in Prower history that one of us has gone against the other. First it was my father, and now you…."

"I've never changed sides." Tails replied back. "It is you who has decided to go against Sonic. Because you are a potential threat, you must be eliminated."

Zoran still masked his emotions well, though Cream thought that she could she a hint of sadness breaking through, ashamed of what his cousin had done.

"Tails, what are you doing?" Cosmo asked him, terrified. "We're your friends."

"Friends?" Tails replied. "I thought so. But then Zoran was trying to stop me, before wasn't he? Now you've followed onto his side, Cream, and you call yourself my friend, Cosmo? After you betray me, even after I saved you from death, when I thought I… but alas, I feel that no more. "

"What? Tails, listen to yourself!" Cosmo cried. Zoran had a feeling Tails was hardly sane. The look on his face when he had uttered the words no more seemed to almost make him look soulless. Zoran finally understood what had happened. His spirit in his heart was broken, a string for Sonic to manipulate. "You know I'd never betray you!

"Silence!" The fox's voice rang through the chamber. "You liar, you traitor, you weed! I want to hear nothing of what you say no more. Sonic's told me what you did. And Sonic has never lied to me, or betrayed me, unlike you…" The glare he gave her was very malicious.

"We're not getting out of here without a fight…" Zoran whispered. Cream felt afraid. They couldn't survive this. They were always working with Sonic, not against him.

Cosmo had tears running down her eyes now. "Tails, how can you say that? Look at yourself, you're a wretch, or some evil monster. Where's the old Tails, the one that was so happy, loyal, and protective to his friends, especially me. Where's the Tails that guarded me with his life, that was heart broken when I told him to kill me to save the world. Where's the Tails I love?"

Tails eyes lost their malicious glare, his entire body relaxed, and then he was the old Tails again. But the moment passed, and he regained all of his malice. "Liar! Fire at will!"

Zoran was quick to react, and in a second's notice a shield erupted around them, shielding them from the attacks. "Grr!" He growled, before charging at his cousin.

Tails saw his attack and quickly parried Zoran's sword-stroke with one of his own nano-swords. It would have been quite an easy battle against the medieval weapon were Zoran's weapons not magical.

The guards continuously fired, and some parts of the shield were getting ready to give in. "Zoran let go of the shield, so we can get out of this and take out those rustbuckets too!" Shadow cried, as he charged at them.

Knuckles ran up the stairs, knocking out anything in his way. "I'm going after you, you cursed hedgehog." He shouted as he attempted to find Sonic in his palace.

Cream quickly realized that she and Cosmo had nothing protecting them but the shield, which Zoran knew wouldn't last much longer. He quickly parried one of Tails' attacks, before running toward them. "Stay close to me!" He shouted at them. Using his hands, he quickly erected a fog around the complex.

"Where are they?" Zoran heard the fighters ask themselves. Zoran quickly motioned to Shadow to follow. Knuckles was too far, Zoran could not save him. He had to hope that Sonic perhaps gave him some mercy…

Shots went out all around them as Sonic made his way through the exit, which to the guards surprised, was not blocked. Zoran kept running with Shadow, Cream, and Cosmo all behind him, running as far away as he could from the building.

The worse part was not the escape, which had cost them many wounds, and perhaps Knuckles, but the fact that Zoran knew they had to go back.

**A/N: Is Knuckles alive? What's going on there? And what's with Zoran and thinking about going back? Stay tuned.**


	13. The Fate of Traitors

**The fate of traitors **

**A/N: Your reviews help me more than you know, one in particular was very constructive. I can't do a thing about Tails character; he's already been manipulated out of character by the villains and myself I'm afraid, hopefully goodness can help me put him back in place…**

**Yeah… where are those romantic moments?… perhaps I should have kept that in my mind a bit more…**

Knuckles stormed through the complex in a barbaric range. When a guard approached him aggressively with a nano-sword, Knuckles punched him squarely in the chest with so much speed and force the guard recoiled back in pain, before he received another fist to the head, knocking him down and out.

Another foolishly tried to intercept him and this saw a huge mass of red for a split second before he fell down, unconscious.

Knuckles then regret storming through the complex to find Sonic. He'd probably not even get a chance to swipe at him! The place was too darn big, and he was already making it difficult to get out of here.

"Lost, little echidna?" A voice rang out from behind him. Tails stood next to him. What had happened to him? No, what had Sonic and the Dread Lord done to him. He was too young to fall to darkness on his own.

He turned around angrily, wanting to slam down the face of the Dread Lord. "Tell me where Sonic is!" He bellowed at him. The Dread Lord laughed.

"You are not worth of facing Sonic!" He said to him. "I bet you couldn't even defeat me…"

Knuckles slammed a fist, knocking the Dread Lord back several feet, before he quickly rolled and recovered to his feet. Tails ran back toward him. "Attack him!" The Dread Lord ordered him.

"Don't listen to him!" Knuckles cried, not wanting to hurt Tails. "You don't want to do this!"

"Really?" Tails said, cocking an eyebrow.

Knuckles feared that Tails might be unchangeable now. He may have lost the very essence of who he was. Somehow, the Dread Lord, or perhaps Sonic, had torn out his heart, and had taken a lot of love with it.

Knuckles knew his part in Tails fall. Had he not closed the portal so soon, Sonic would have never even met the wolf, Tails would never have had to find a way to get back, and he'd have been with the very person he had long desired to be with.

"Hit me." Knuckles said to Tails.

Tails looked surprised. "Hit me!" He yelled louder. "Why don't you kill me, too! It's bad enough that Sonic's betrayed me, but Rouge and Amy too? There's nothing worse than being against something you cherish, something you know you must strike down…" (Knuckles had to silently admit, love won over Amy, and money won over Rouge, so it would have been difficult to stop them anyway.)

"I won't kill you Tails, and thus I am defeated. End me. Beat me to death, shoot me, stab me, I don't care. Just END ME!" Knuckles vicious face made Tails step backward, afraid, but also made him furious.

Tails did not know what to do. The Dread Lord was laughing maniacally. "So you choose to die honorably?!" He said, still laughing. "You are a bigger fool than I thought. Go ahead and finish him, Miles." Knuckles indeed thought himself a fool for putting his life at risk to help Tails find his own again.

"By the way, when you're done with me, why don't you go kill the rest of the gang!" Knuckles yelled. "Why don't you kill Zoran, Cream, and Cosmo. You'll certainly have one easy kill, you know how pathetic she is!"

"She is not pathetic!" Tails said defensively, and Knuckles knew he had hit the mark, though when Tails drew his blaster, he wondered if he had gone too far. Tails then suddenly relaxed, looking at the blaster he was holding in his hand.

"What are you waiting for?" The Dread Lord asked impatiently. "Shoot him!"

Tails raised the blaster, and Knuckles gulped. "Goodbye, Knuckles." Tails said to him. Knuckles didn't know whether to run, or say something quickly to save himself, he could not move his legs.

Tails fired. The Dread Lord gasped in shock as Knuckles eyes grew large with surprise at the betrayal.

The Dread Lord fell down the ground, dead.

"Sonic and the Dread Lord lied to me… too…" Tails muttered to himself, looking at the blaster that had killed the Dread Lord. Knuckles wanted to comfort him, but he could easily lift the gun and shoot him down. So he listened, though he heard no intruding voices. "They said they'd make the world a better place." Tails continued to mutter. "It's only gotten worse."

He then lifted up his sad blue eyes toward him. "Oh, Knuckles, I am lost! I don't know who I am anymore! When I first saw Sonic, I thought he was trying to do something different, something revolutionary and great that would make things happier. I see I was wrong…" Knuckles listened to the sad words Tails spoke. "My heart's broken, I don't think I could ever trust or love again."

"You can trust us!" Knuckles countered. "And why would you love again? You already are in love!"

"But Sonic said…" Tails caught himself in mid-speech. "He lied, didn't he?" He suddenly looked angry, and then sad. "She'll never look at me again…"

"Where is he?" Knuckles asked, wanting to take down that spiky blue rodent. There was no more time to lament or comfort.

"Out of reach…" A voice said from behind them.

Knuckles cursed his unawareness as they were quickly surrounded by Rouge and a bunch of guards. "You're going down bat!" Knuckles cried, charging right at her.

The company was completely aghast when Zoran said that they would have to return tonight to the palace. "Now?" Cosmo asked him. "After all of this?"

"Better now than later." Shadow stated, agreeing with Zoran. "If we wait too long, Sonic will grow too strong. We'll obviously have to end Tails first, that will cut short a lot of Sonic's potential power." Cosmo was appalled at the idea. She was heart-broken, but love does not fly out of a glass when it shatters.

"I swore never to murder another Prower." Zoran replied to him. "If he does have to die, I'll not end his life."

"Fine, then I'll go into the palace's lab, and take him down." Shadow retorted. "Either way, all of those traitors will receive their proper fate!"

Cream held onto Zoran fearfully. "We're not really going to kill them all, are we?" Cream asked him.

Zoran stroked her ears. "I'm afraid no matter we do, someone will die…"

**A/N: Someone does die… very soon…**


	14. Flight from the Palace

**Flight from the palace**

Rouge and Knuckles were already in a huge battle. Meanwhile, Tails, knowing that he had full control over his own robotic creation, quickly gave the command for them to protect him, which meant attacking the guards that wanted to kill him.

In seconds, a huge battle ensued. Tails knew Sonic was in the very back of the palace, he would not hear this battle. He had designed the place specifically for stealth, and it was now working with him, as it was meant to do.

Knuckles saw that he had a huge disadvantage against Rouge, she could fly. But he had an advantage as well, she constantly underestimated his reach. He got enough force in him, as he thrust himself at Rouge while she was airborne. The two toppled down an entire floor.

Knuckles got up slowly, when he quickly saw Rouge stealthily moving closer with a dagger in hand. She swiped at his arm, making him turn away to make it miss. But he reacted too soon, she anticipated, and quickly lunged at his chest.

Knuckles cried out in pain. She had missed his heart by inches, but she still got a good cut in the ribs. To her dismay, he did not fall to the ground. She pulled out another dagger, and slashed again. He still did not fall. When she tried to slice at him a third time, which would have surely finished him, Knuckles grabbed her hand, twisted it, tripped her, punched in her face, and threw her against a pillar, each one second after the other.

The frenzied echidna did not stop there. He lunged at her again, striking her hard in the face. She recoiled in pain, but watched as he too, became sluggish in his movements. The slashes in his chest were painful, and Knuckles knew he was losing a lot of blood. "You won't make it out of her alive, Knucklehead." She taunted him.

"If that is so, then you shall die first!" Knuckles had no weapons, he needed none. With all the strength he could muster, he slammed her right through a statue. The statue broke into several thousand pieces. Rouge fortunately, retained all of hers, until her neck was crushed by the huge statue's remaining pieces falling upon her.

Knuckles did not want to check to see if she was dead, he already feared and knew it was so. Tails flew down from above; apparently he had managed to get away while the robots and guards were still fighting. He despaired, as he saw Knuckles collapse on the ground…

Tails carried him outside, away from the vile palace. But like his cousin, he already knew that he would have to return…

"What's going on?" Sonic asked as he saw many guards dead, and worse… the Dread Lord. Amy stood by his side, nearly shouting out at the Dread Lord's dead body.

"Miles, sir." One of the men explained. "He betrayed you! He left with the red one, who killed Rouge! It was…"

The men fell down dead from a shot by Sonic's blaster. "Clean this up!" He yelled at the others, who quickly bent to do as he commanded.

"Perhaps it is not so bad that the Dread Lord is dead." Amy said tenderly. "After all, that leaves two less person to worry about taking your power."

Sonic had to admit, Amy was right. But he needed Miles; there was no one like him.

Or was there? Amy had told him of another genius, one whom he had thought dead.

"Amy, I think it's time to give an old rival of ours a call…"

"This is not a good idea." Zoran said, completely going against his original thoughts. "It's starting to snow, we're cold, and we're in despair. Let's just do this another day."

Cosmo agreed heartily, truly not wanting to do this any day. "No, this is our best chance at the moment!" Shadow protested, as they observed the entrance from afar.

Suddenly, as they saw the building in sight, they saw a hooded figure carrying a dead body… Knuckle's body… Zoran felt as if he had a knot in his stomach… the poor, brave, foolish echidna. Cream cried into his shoulder, and Cosmo despaired. She had nothing to hold on to…

"We shall make the vile creature pay!" Shadow shouted. He charged right at the hooded figure, and within two seconds, he fell flat on the ground. He gently laid Knuckle's body on the ground. Zoran, who had finally caught up to him, could tell that Knuckles was likely killed by a nano-sword, or perhaps a simply knife… Behind him, Cream and Cosmo advanced slowly, as if it was sacred ground.

The hooded figure got up, and began to walk away, to Shadow's disbelief. Laughing, he tackled the figure down again. The hood fell down, revealing the face it concealed.

Shadow's surprise quickly turned into anger. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't finish you right now, instead of take you prisoner!"

"Be at ease, Shadow!" Zoran said. He did not see the face of the figure, until he took a step closer, and gasped. It was Miles.

Zoran almost wanted to hurt him nearly as much as Shadow would, after all, he had not promised to never harm another Prower. Yet the expression on Tails face was one of shame, something Tails had never seen him express.

"Kill me." Miles said to Shadow. "Kill me now; I have lost my soul, now I need you to kill me, so that I may find it in heaven." Shadow was confused at Tails sorrowful tone, and he lowered his arm.

"Tails?" Cream said, who was a few feet behind Zoran, surprised. Cosmo took a step back at the mention of his identity. "You… you killed Knuckles?"

Tails shook his head, and Shadow was about to hit him, but Zoran stilled his hand. "Do you see a lie?" He inquired to him. Shadow lowered his arm again.

"No… Rouge did, but not before he killed her." Tails said. He laughed bitterly. "All there is now is loss since Sonic became emperor." Tails got up, and Shadow was about to pin him down again, but Zoran stilled his arm.

"Why are you here?" Zoran asked him curiously. "Did Sonic order you to bury him somewhere?"

Tails shook his head. "No, Sonic probably just got the news that Knuckles is dead and that I've abandoned him and killed the Dread Lord." Tails informed him. Zoran could have sung at that moment. To know that his cousin had turned away from Sonic's evil was grand. "Knuckles helped me turn away from what I got myself into."

Shadow was still unconvinced, Zoran could tell, but Cream already seemed satisfied that he was indeed, good again. Zoran did not have to look back to see glee play on Cosmo's face, though she avoided looking at Tails at all, hiding behind the three of them. Tails looked nowhere else but at Shadow and Zoran, fearing the way she might look at him.

"Now I must leave." Tails told the company. "There is nothing here for me anymore, unless you wish to kill me." Zoran shook his head, and Tails turned around, sorrowfully.

"Wait!" Zoran called out to him as Tails began to turn around. Zoran could really feel the icy cold snow now. It was as cold as if someone had dumped ten buckets of cold water on him. "You could help us defeat Sonic, perhaps help him find sense, too!" Zoran knew that Sonic was probably too lost in evil to be saved, but perhaps the others still could be saved.

"I am nothing." Tails replied gloomily. "I cannot help you; I don't even know who I am anymore! I feel like as if I've lost my soul! Zoran, I made Sonic powerful, I aided his evil, and I destroyed myself in the process, taught to hate things I once loved. I've lost all those things now. There is no glory in my future, no comfort, no home, no family, no friendships, no love…" He drifted off; struggling with pain, but none of it was physical. Then he collapsed to the ground.

In a panic, Zoran called his name checking every single sign to see if he was alive…

**A/N: I heard your cries, begging for me not to kill Tails. But you're just going to have to wait another chapter to find out what made him collapse. Is he dead? This story's next chapter is already written… I have long decided his fate… and soon you shall know it as well…**


	15. More Despair

**More Despair**

**A/N: To be honest, compared to the rest of the story, here is where a bit of romance finally trickles in (At such a grim moment too!). Sorry for taking so long for those moments, but I had to get the plot set in my head first…**

**Remembered, not every hero makes it to the end, nor does every villain face defeat at the end…**

**Bah, let me stop talking, let you start reading, so you can find out what is going on with Sonic, and if Tails lives…**

Sonic nearly jumped when he noticed a demonic figure look up at him from the palace stairs. He had just woken up, and about to go outside, when he saw the figure with very red, evil eyes. "Who… who are you?" He said, sounding not intimidated, though in truth he was a bit afraid of the thing.

"You have learned well from me." The figure smiled. Sonic did not let down his guard. "I am the Dread Lord. Your… friend… killed me, as I've seen you learned. I'm glad he did. I was getting sick of hiding who I really was."

"You're a demon…" Sonic said. "Are you a powerful one?" If this was the Dread Lord, then he his own mentor would make a powerful fighter.

The Dread Lord nodded. "Perhaps I will show you a tiny portion of my power soon, but something else must be done this day."

Sonic listened. "And that is?"

The Dread Lord laughed. "Get a group of men to eliminate your foes, of course! You know who they are well. I'm sure you can get an idea of what to do."

Then the Dread Lord disappeared. Sonic did not like to be ordered about much, but he liked the Dread Lord's idea…

"It's time to give Eggman his first assignment…" He said to himself.

Tails looked around him. He knew where he was before as soon as he opened his eyes. "I'm… dead." Tails said to himself. "Again…"

"You weren't dead twice." A voice spoke. Tails turned around, and saw the Soul-Keeper looking upon him with his usual wise expression. "You may not even be dead now, should you choose to wake up."

"This is a dream?" Tails asked him curiously.

"Would you say such a thing in a dream?" The Soul-Keeper answered. "You gave up, and thus, as you said yourself, lost yourself. You gave up on life so much that you lost any interest to keep going. You thought you lost everything. But now, you've gained everything back that you wanted to get back! You've found your friends again and your love again! Should you not be happy inside, rather than dead…"

"I have no love anymore." Tails replied gloomily.

"Then you are a fool." The Soul-Keeper replied angrily. "It all started with the diamond, all started because you so desired something. Perhaps the road began because of selfish intentions, but you became selfless later on, even loyal, even if that led to your betrayal by your best friend. You worked so hard for something, and then you just give it up!"

Tails looked down in shame. "She is glad, but she is angry. Tell her what she wants to know, and you'll know what you want to know." The Soul-Keeper informed him. "Stop running away from responsibility. Do you want to know why you may be dead right now?"

Tails nodded. "Your heart requires love, as all good hearts do. When you came back from your senses, you realized how loveless you seem to be at the moment. Good people die without love, you know."

"So… am I dead?" Tails asked, fearing the answer.

"Do you want to live?" The Soul-Keeper demanded of him.

"I want to live, but perhaps the world would be better without me." Tails replied honestly. "I have only caused harm to people that haven't deserved it since I left this place

The Soul-Keeper thought for a moment. "Listen, I can hear all sorts of voices praying…"

Tails listened, and the first voice that reached his ears was one of a young girl. "Angels of the heavens, can you help us? We need a hero to defeat our ex-hero. Oh, why has he turned evil! My parents used to marvel at him. Now both are in his prison, to be executed tomorrow…"

Tails looked at the Soul-Keeper, but he seemed busy listening. "Please… my wife is hurt… they've beat her senseless just for calling them a name. Will someone come help us? Or will they ignore us, out of fear of punishment…"

"They've destroyed my home!"

"They killed my son!"

"Who can stop him…? I fear no one may… though I pray nevertheless, that a hero may emerge.

"Will anyone have the heart to stand up to him and defeat him?"

"Nature, please… give him once more chance!"

The last voice was familiar. "Cosmo?" Tails asked the Soul-Keeper.

"Listen." Was all he said back.

Tails listened to her intently. "Nature… I love him with all my heart… no matter what happens to him. I'd rather him be evil once more than dead. Maybe if I'd never come back, then he wouldn't be dead…"

"So I am dead…" Tails said to himself resignedly…

"Today is not your day to die." A voice spoke to him. Tails turned around, noticing a familiar echidna spirit floating toward him.

"Knuckles…" Tails said. "Knuckles, I'm so sorry, I…"

The spirit silenced him by waving a hand. "Zoran told me you were the last kitsune. I don't know what that means, I don't pretend to, but if you give up, I guess you just ended all chances of having another one." Knuckles informed him. "If you give up, then others will too, and then the world's balance will tip more and more toward evil… until good either wins against all odds or ceases to exist."

"Our greatest chances of victory all are now!" Knuckles continued. "You can't give up, Tails, because you are the chief engineer of this victory. Without you, there will be none."

Tails looked at Knuckles and the Soul-Keeper. "But I'm dead, I can't go back, can I?" Tails asked.

Now both of them laughed. "If you want to." The Soul-Keeper replied.

"I do want to; I have to go back, for them, for her! They all need me, they…"

Everything went black.

**A/N: Aye… it's not too hard to guess what happened.**


	16. Hope Begins its Bloom

**Hope Begins its Bloom**

**A/N: This chapter is probably one of the best so far…**

Tails had been unconscious for days, at one point, Zoran noticed, his heart did not even beat, but he still breathed. Zoran concluded that in the next day or two, they should bury him. There was no hope left for him…

But then he had watched Cosmo looking over his body, praying for a miracle. How could she pray for such a thing, when miracles happened as rarely as shooting stars were seen, and only a single person could have a miracle in the entire world…? Thus, for the first time in his life, Zoran felt true sadness, and thought he felt a single tear slide down his face.

Tails was awake. He could not perceive it at first; he was trying to remember how to use his eyes…

He heard a voice singing, a sweet voice, he smelled flowery scents nearby, and he imagined himself in a spring garden, and he suddenly began to hum the tune, its melody easy to remember. Suddenly, everything became quiet, and Tails stopped humming. He felt his sense of touch returning as something took hold of his hand. Then, he finally opened his eyes…

… and he saw eyes looking right back at him, beautiful eyes on a beautiful creature. Its mouth gasped in shock, and then smile in joy. Oh, the joy was so angelic! Tails simply looked at the creature tenderly, not remembering anything yet, not even his own name.

For a moment, imagination poured into him, and he thought he was in heaven, gazing upon the most beautiful angels. He felt free, and he almost began to pick up the tune again.

Reality finally poured back into Tails as he finally began to recognize the figure. Then, his heart was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. He was happy to be alive, and with Cosmo. He still felt weak however, and he slowly raised the hand that Cosmo was not holding, hardly believing he was alive.

"Oudh…" Tails first sound was hardly comprehendible.

"Tails?" He heard the angelic voice ask. "Can you hear me?"

"… Where am I?" Tails asked her.

"We're at Cream's house." Cosmo informed him. "Oh, its so good that you've woken up now! We've barely evaded Sonic's scouts twice now, I don't think we can do it a third now. We were about to bury you…." She stopped speaking for a moment. "But you're alive, that's all that matters."

Tails sat up. "No, that's not all that matters. Sonic's still reigning supreme, bringing suffering when he thinks he's helping people. That… that demon's corrupted him, Cosmo!" Tails looked at his fist almost angrily, but then his expression softened as he looked back at her. "I heard their cries, while I was unconscious. I heard the cries of the dead and the living. At least the dead are free…"

Cosmo had taken both of his hands now. Her hands felt slim and soft, and Tails cringed at the thought of accidentally hurting them. "Tails, its okay now, you're with friends now."

She didn't understand. He was not having nightmares while he was unconscious; he was really hearing true voices. "I have to go stop him!" Tails cried. With amazing strength, he managed to raise himself out of the bed and onto the floor.

"Tails, you can't go without some plan or help! Let me at least get the others so we can come with you!" Cosmo begged of him.

"I can't look at my cousin in the face anymore." Tails stated sadly. "I fought another Prower. There is so much shame in that…"

"Well, I still won't let you go unless you bring me with you." Cosmo said obstinately.

Tails looked alarmed. "I don't want anyone else to die. If someone has to risk their life, it should be me."

"Even if you tried to go without me, I'd still follow you." Cosmo said with an unusual amount of stubbornness. "I'm not completely helpless."

"Nature won't save you when you're in a building." Tails retorted.

"I still won't let you go by yourself on this… suicide mission." Cosmo said, tears starting to fall down her eyes. "I love you too much to see you die foolishly.

Tails was quiet for a moment. "How can you still say that after all those cruel things I said?" Tails asked her incredulously. "I… I tried to kill you all! And yet you still can say you love me?"

Cosmo looked at him tenderly. "You were lost then. Your spirit was defiled and corrupted by those you thought you could trust. But now you have it again."

Tails began to recollect the conversation he had with the Soul-Keeper and Knuckles. _"You can't give up Tails because you are the chief engineer of this project."_ The chief engineer… His eyes finally lingered up to Cosmo, and perhaps a final hesitation took place within him.

Thoughts are sometimes such a waste of time. The smartest of people often think too much and take too long to act. That is the chief defining difference between all brains and all brawn: Those with all brawn tend to act too fast, those with all brain think too much.

Cosmo, perhaps knowing that Tails was going through a lot of pondering in his head at the moment, did not give him any time to let out a verbal response. Their lips meet swiftly and passionately, and in that moment everything around them disappeared and the two felt like a pair of lovebirds soaring through the sky.

"Ahem." Tails heard from somewhere near the door. Zoran, Shadow, and Cream were standing in the doorway. Shadow humorously had a shovel in his hand, looking as if he had full intention to bury Tails. He looked shocked indeed to see a blushing Tails alive and well.

"You know, you could have told us when you would wake up." Zoran said to him, a smirk on his face. He turned to Cosmo. "You didn't use any technique from a fairy tale to wake him, did you?" Cosmo shrugged her shoulders, her cheeks red as well. Cosmo had no idea what a fairy tale was.

Zoran then gave his cousin a brotherly hug. (There is no such thing as a cousinly hug, really) Cream gave him a squeeze as well, but Shadow merely gave him a glance. Obviously he was not yet redeemed in his eyes. Tails knew he was highly deserving of Shadows dislike at the moment.

"Do you have a plan in mind?" Tails asked Zoran. "We need to act quickly if we're going to defeat Sonic."

"I do." Zoran said to him with a smile. "And its to simply get out of this place, with you in charge of making the plan."

They heard a rumble nearby, and screams filled their ears.

"I think now would be a good time to leave, too." Zoran added. "Come on, let's get out of here!"

**A/N: The story is rolling now! Comment, critique, and continue reading!**


	17. Dawn was given an Answer

**Dawn was given an Answer…**

**A/N: Don't forget to critique. There's always something that needs work. **

**The title has two important words: Dawn and Answer. Remember, as learned in the Lost Answer, Zoran was sent out to search for his lost answer, and he has found it in "form" but has not learned its meaning…**

In moments when it is difference between life and death, every single thing you believe, every thing you've learned, everything you've been taught, matters. Every emotion you feel every person you care about, all of a sudden double in importance.

Zoran knew that this was another one of those moments. He knew the number of men out there in town; he knew they were looking for all of them. He knew that this was another moment in which death would be hard to avoid.

The sounds of blaster fire and cannons echoed throughout the area as they made their way out of the complex. Zoran looked up at the sky, and saws that it was still dark, which would provide a cover for a short time for planes to come in and bomb them all.

Zoran was clever; he knew the extent of Sonic's power.

"Watch out!" Shadow warned them all of a sudden as they heard a cannon split through Cream's home. Cream gasped in shock. Amidst all of the weapon fire, Zoran wished he had never come. People screaming, dying, falling to the ground, mothers running with babies… Zoran watched one mother struggle with a soldier, and then saw her killed. The child cried at their side.

"Let's go!" Tails cried desperately. He took Cosmo's hand and began running away from the chaos, and the others followed him, save one…

"_Ever the fool…" _Zoran thought to himself. He turned around, and went toward the soldier who had killed the mother. Her daughter looked innocently at her mother's murderer almost pleadingly, and that was enough to stop even the hardest man's heart.

The soldier picked up his gun and pointed it at her. "Sonic's soldiers leave no one alive." He declared. He pulled the trigger…

Zoran tackled the man, and the shot just missed the girl. In frenzy, he pulled out his two swords and slashed the man, killing with two blows. He looked elsewhere, and a whole pack of soldiers charged at him.

"_Ever the Dark Ranger…" _Zoran thoughts creped in his mind slowly, but he moved highly evanescently. The soldiers were surprised at his speed and agility, but they fired anyway.

The soldiers realized they were firing at nothing. "Where did he go?" One of the soldiers asked.

He then fell to the ground, unconscious. Zoran appeared behind him, his enchanted jacket's hood on his head.

"_Ever ruthless…" _Zoran slashed and slashed at the soldiers who were desperately reaching for their electric blades. Yet Zoran's blades made of classic metal were of superior magical quality, and soldier after soldier fell to his sword work.

He had only defeated the first wave. They were sent to destroy their homes, and make innocents suffer to bring them out of hiding. He knew another would be sent to finish the job… He walked up to their cannons, and he disabled them with his blades. He then walked away, looking for a girl, and he noticed her, still by her mother. A couple of elders had walked over to calm her.

Then the townspeople all looked at Zoran, and Zoran was confused. Did they think him odd? Blood thirsty? Murderous? He looked at his blades, which had picked up the hue of the disgusting red.

"You, fox!" One of the townspeople shouted at him, who was an old woodchuck. Zoran picked up his ears. At least he wasn't confused for a wolf this time… "What's your name?"

"Zoran, Zoran… Prower" Zoran hesitated saying his last name, but for the first time in his life, he felt pride in his name.

"Look here!" The woodchuck bellowed to all the other townsfolk, who had come to see who had boldly stood up against Sonic's men. "We are such fools to think only of our own safety! We say nothing against Sonic, because we don't want to be tortured or be killed."

"Sonic is a hero!" One of the townsfolk shouted. "Who would speak down of him? Surely he did not mean to send these men?"

"Sonic did this very purposely." The woodchuck insisted. "He will crush his enemies even if he has to sacrifice us. He cares nothing for us anymore! He is lost!"

The townsmen who had spoken for Sonic did not reply, and the woodchuck continued. "I do not know why, but Sonic has considered this fox the enemy. He wanted to use us as bait! I say Sonic has turned to a blackguard."

Several people in the crowd gasped. "He is no villain!" The same townsmen spoke up. Several murmured in agreement.

Then they heard a crying wail, and the girl who had lost her mother had seemingly lost control of her emotions. She was kneeling on the ground, seemingly praying for the impossible. There were people trying to comfort her, but she was eternally scarred. Zoran remembered too well the day his own mother was murdered…

"I say again, he is lost!" The woodchuck replied toward those who still believed Sonic good. "We at first hailed him as a hero, true enough, a person to get rid of that rather unsuccessful mayor. But did not his deign to become emperor not alert you? He executed the mayor without trial, he has killed anyone who even said a word against him, and he has even hired the villainous Dr. Eggman as his knew chief engineer. Believe me, I know!" The woodchuck cried.

"I have escaped the asylum the hedgehog has unjustly caged me in!" The woodchuck cried out, and several gasped in shock. Zoran looked at the woodchuck with curiosity. Had he suffered as much as himself? Zoran doubted it, but still the woodchuck had already suffered too much. "He caged me in for writing a column talking about why he should not have become an emperor and instead simply become the mayor. I was set to be executed today!" The woodchuck looked at Zoran. "They were not just after you, my friend…"

He turned back to the crowd. "Now is the time to raise arms! If peace won't get things done, if that accursed hedgehog wants a war, then lets give him what he deserves!"

If there was anyone against the hedgehog now, they were silent. A rather unanimous cheer rang through the crowd. Then they were silenced as the woodchuck cleared his throat.

Zoran noticed Shadow and the others in the crowd, and each had a different reaction to what they saw. Shadow was the typical indifference, though Zoran knew that Shadow was masking the triumphant feeling in his heart. Tails showed surprise, Cosmo showed worry, and Cream showed awe.

"Zoran Prower, you have shown unparalleled boldness and bravery. If anyone should lead this fight for the people, it should be one who has the heart of the people."

His four friends were near him now, and Zoran gave each of them a smile. He would need all of their abilities if they were going to storm Sonic's palace. He then turned towards the people. "I have seen enough injustice!" He spoke to the crowd. "I will not let it continue, whether it claims me in the end or not!"

The crowd cheered. "Restore the Republic!" They cried.

Shadow, Tails, and Cosmo were all awed. Zoran smiled happily at the scene, a scene that contained hope. Cream stood next to him, taking his hand in hers.

"Can I really do this?" Zoran said to her, doubt in his mind.

She smiled tenderly. "Zoran, you were born to be a general." She said supporting. "You are their light, as you are mine." Thus, Zoran was given his answer, the only answer he needed.

The still did not yet understand why Cream was his Answer, he finally realized what he was to these people and rebels, and what the beautiful light orange sky symbolized, and what his very own name, Zoran, meant.

Dawn.

**A/N: Thus, the war begins. Yet who shall triumph? Can the Prowers stop the Dread Lord? Will Zoran learn what his "Answer" means? And who shall die?**

**The Second Volume of this Trilogy… ends…**

**Soon… the Third and Final Part… shall begin.**


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